Prague Birthday Trip

At the end of June, Sara and I took a long weekend trip to Prague for Sara's birthday. We stayed near the Old Town Square where they had large screens set up for people to watch the World Cup, which made it very festive. We did a lot of walking around cobble stone streets, old buildings, shops & restaurants. They are also known for garnets. Sara did very well restraining herself from purchasing to many.

We rode the local tram system to the Prague Castle, visited gardens, crossed the Charles Bridge, and had excellent food. Below are some pics. Hope everyone is doing well.

View of Prague Castle & Town from a hillside park

Famous Charles Bridge

Prague Castle

Astronomical Clock at Old Town Square

World Cup Screens in Old Town Square

Weekend Fun

We had a great weekend. We hung out with friends on Thursday night (our last work day of the week), Friday we went to the spa and had a nice steak dinner, then we rented wave runners today. Sara is at Emirates Palace watching a London orchestra concert with a friend from work.

Maldives Water Villa

End of March we took a long weekend to the Maldives. The Maldives are a group of islands (atolls) South of India near Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. It was a 4 hour direct flight from Dubai to Male and then from Male airport, we took a sea plane to the Conrad Rangali Resort. The flight over the mutiple islands was terrific.

We had a water villa that overlooked gorgeous blue water. We saw a shark and sting ray from our balcony. Sara stepped on a dead sea urchin while playing in the water outside our villa. The islands were amazing. The resort had 2 full spas over the water. Each spa room had an outdoor toilet. They have an undersea restaurant in which we saw a large Eel while eating lunch. The snorkeling was some of the best we've ever seen...probably the best. Excellent food, wine, and relaxation. Enjoy the pics!

Conrad Rangali Resort from Sea plane...we were on the left island


View from our villa balcony

Sunset Dinner

Sting Ray in the water at our villa...hard to see.

Shark from our villa balcony

Sailing with Friends

Mid December, Sara and I were invited to join a co-worker of hers (Eva) on their sailboat for a Saturday afternoon. You'll have to ask Sara about how the invitation went down. It was a nice day on the water and I learned a bit about sailing. The sun was out with a decent wind. There was an excavator in the water (see below)...is it real or an illusion?

Abu Dhabi Skyline from off the coastline

Your guess is as good as mine!

ADIA Office building...good architecture! You can see the excavator too.

Abu Dhabi European PGA & Beach Classic

January 22, 2010 we went to the Abu Dhabi European PGA Event. Every January it is held at the Abu Dhabi National Golf Club. The course was is excellent condition. There were some big names at the event. Rory McIlroy, Colin McGomerie, Darren Clark, Lee Westword (he didn't make the final cut), Jeff Ogilvie, Anthony Kim, etc. For the end of January it was fairly warm, but nice. I think it was close to 80 degrees. Below are some pics.

The golf course on Saadiyat (island where I work) held a Pro Am Beach Classic a few days after the PGA Event (Jan 28th) for charity and the grand opening of the course. I've played this Gary Player course three times so far. It's very difficult with lots and lots of soft sand. It's amazing though. There are a portion of 8 holes that touch the protected sand dunes next to the beach. The beach views are terrific. Gary Player and Rory McIlroy played in the event. Hole #10 is called the "Mouse Trap". It has sand bunkers that are 8'-10' deep...yes I've been in them!

Colin setting up for a shot.
Anthony Kim leaving 18 Green

Rory being interviewed after his Friday round

Ras Al Khamiah - Christmas Day

Hi All. Just getting caught up on some postings. On Christmas Day, Sara, Charlie and I drove to Ras Al Khamiah (1 or the 7 emirates within UAE). Ras Al Khamiah is along the coast and adjacent to mountains. We just chose a road and drove into the mountains until we were greeted and requested to turn around (the request came without speaking a word to each other!). Didn't know it at the time, but we were at the Oman border. The mountains are all rock.

On our way home, we stopped and had lunch at The Cove Rotana Resort. It's a cool beach resort. It was very nice, but not like home over Christmas. Weather was nice as you can see from the below pictures of the mountains and some camels. Enjoy!

Switzerland and Italy Trip

During the Muslim holiday of Eid, Sara and I took a trip to Switzerland and Italy for 2 weeks. Our friends Dan and Angela met us there for a week. While we were on our holiday, Sara and I both received notice that we did not have to work the following week. We were able to move our flights one week and we spent the extra week in Florence and then a couple days in Luzern, Switzerland.



We met in Zurich for a couple days, drove to Turin/Piedemonte Italy area, Florence, then Luzern. Switzerland country is beautiful. Montreax on Lake Geneva was very pretty. Montreax was our stopping point for an excellent lunch as we drove to Turin.



Dan and I went to a soccer game while we were in Turin. We purchased tickets 1/2 hour before the game and sat in the 5th row. It was a great experience as it was my first professional football (soccer) game. I was the only light haired person in the stadium. I'm sure I stood out like a sore thumb.



In Piedmonte we relaxed, wine tastings, and excellent food. Piedemonte area is known for their white truffles and they were in season during our trip. They have such a distinct smell...I don't think I'll ever forget it. They measure the truffle before shavings are placed on your meal, then remeasure in order to know how much to charge. White Truffles are very expensive. One amazing restaurant in Turin showed us pictures of a 1.3 kg truffle they found in 2007 that was worth $22,000! I'd like to find one of those!



Sara and I really enjoyed Florence. The weather was warmer and the town has so much history. We saw the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Statue of David by Michaelangelo, and famous church (Duomo's). Florence has all the shopping you could ever want and the best restaurants. It doesn't matter where you eat...it's all amazing. We also did a one day trip to Sienna to reminensce about our previous Italy trip. It rained HEAVILY for most of the day, but we still had a great time.



We rode the train from Florence to Luzern where we spent 2 nights. For my birthday, I chose a Rathaus Bier restaurant. It was very good. For dinner I chose a mexican restaurant...bad decision. Here are some of our pictures.

Typical Florence Street

Town of Luzern with Mountain

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Lake Geneva in Montreax

Lake Geneva